Interregional Trade and Exchange

400 – 1450 CEMONGOLS

AFRICAEUROPE

Introduction

• From 600 – 1450 CE the world moved towards global contacts– In Eurasia the Mongols served as facilitators between East

and West– In Africa Bantu speakers led to contacts with Arabs and

sub-Saharan Africa– Eastern portion of the Roman empire lost territory to the

Turks– Western Europe built on Greco-Roman traditions to forge

a new empire

The Mongols• The Song Dynasty of China was overtaken by the Mongols in

the 13th century• By the 15th century they had conquered China, Persia and

Russia• Steppe Diplomacy – alliances with other pastoral groups and

elimination of rivals• Chingiss Kahn – 1st ruler in 1206 • Died in 1222• Empire extended from China to Persia• Excellent horsemen and masters of the short bow• Tolerant towards religious beliefs

Mongol Expansion to Russia• Mongols reached Russia by 1237• Russians called the Mongols “Tartars”• Mongols set up a tribute empire to Russia called “The Golden

Horde”• Serfdom arose as peasants gave their lands to lords for

protection from the Mongols• Strengthened the Orthodox Church by making the

“Metropolitan” the head of both the Russian and the Orthodox church

• Mongols kept Russia isolated from Western Europe• Mongols tried to take over Europe from Russia but never

happened

The Mongols in Persia• 1258 Baghdad was destroyed and Persia was added

to the Mongol empire• 800,000 people were killed including the Abbasid

Caliphate• 1243 Mongols defeated the Seljuk Turks weakening

their dominance in Turkey and leading to the rise of the Ottoman Turks in the 15th century

• Egyptian Mamluks (slaves) defeated the Mongols in 1260

The Mongols in China

• Under the leadership of Kublai Kahn– 1271 controlled most of

China– Referred to as the Yuan

Dynasty– Overthrown in 1368 by

the Ming Dynasty

Mongol Contributions to China• Chinese forbidden to read or write Mongol• Chinese/ Mongol marriage outlawed• Chinese men could hold positions in local and

regional government• Mongol women had more freedom than Chinese

women• Foreigners like Marco Polo were welcome in the

Yuan Court• Unsuccessfully tried to invade Japan in 1274 but

were turned back by treacherous winds called KAMIKAZE (divine wind)

Impact of Mongol Rule in Eurasia

• Trade between Europe and Asia was the MOST IMPORTANT• Mid 13th – Mid 14th century was a time of “Mongol Peace”

and stability• Spread of the bubonic plague

– Fleas carried by rats traveled in Mongol ships to Europe– Became known as the Black Death– Contributed to the fall of the Yuan– Spread through the Middle East, N Africa, and Europe– 25 million dead, 1/3 population of Europe– Destroyed feudalism with the destruction of serfs– Took 100 years to recover

Other Nomads• Decline of the Mongols saw

the rise of Timur the Lame (Tamerlane) a Turk from central Asia– His capitol of Samarkand was

known for architectural beauty

– Conquests known for severe brutality

– From the 1300’s to 1405 when he died he spread destruction across Persia, Mesopotamia, India, and Southern Russia

China and European the Indian Ocean

• After the fall of the Yuan Dynasty (Mongols) Indian Ocean trade was renewed

• The Ming Dynasty sent out mass expeditions of the Indian Ocean, Persian Gulf and Red Sea

• Expeditions were undertaken by Zheng He; a Chinese man of Muslim faith

The Rise of Western Europe

• By the 1400’s Europe's emerging monarchs possessed political power and financial stability to investigate the world

• Technology had become more sophisticated through trade with China– Printing press, gunpowder, and compasses

• Europe offered very few trade products causing a trade imbalance with the rest of the world and causing them to drain their treasuries of gold.